Irish Independent (McDowell's organ of choice) announces Censorship of "radicals"

national | anti-war / imperialism | other press

Thursday November 17, 2005 05:43

by R. Isible

(c) Irish Independent Nov 17th 2005, Tom Brady (security editor who never got off his arse to investigate prisoners being "rendered" at Shannon)

Freedom of speech crackdown

THE law is to be changed to deter radicals making inflammatory remarks that could put Ireland's security at risk.

The planned move was disclosed yesterday by Defence Minister Willie O'Dea who said the Government could not guarantee that other threats would not be issued against Ireland by fundamentalists prepared to abuse the freedom of speech.

But it was proposed to toughen existing legislation to act as a deterrent against a repeat of the comments made by Islamic lawyer Anjem Choudary in Trinity College in Dublin last week.

Mr O'Dea said he had received huge public reaction against the remarks which suggested Ireland could be attacked by international terror groups because US war planes were allowed to refuel in Shannon.

Many

of the callers, he said, had been incensed and appalled by the threats contained in Mr Choudary's remarks.

Mr O'Dea discussed possible law changes after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Justice Minister Michael McDowell.

Watching a demonstration by the Army's elite unit, the Ranger Wing, at the Curragh yesterday, the minister said there were no plans to curb the freedom of speech.

"You can't have absolute freedom of speech", Mr O'Dea added.

"There has to be some balance and what we are trying to do now is to refine the legislation that is already there", he said. He told radicals like Mr Choudary that identifying Ireland as a target for a terror attack was "beyond the pale".